With your final term looming large, thoughts now turn to what happens next. Here are some extra-curricular ideas that will look great on your CV, helping it to stand out from the ‘No extra-curriculars’ crowd!
Online Courses
From the Open University’s free ‘OpenLearn’ website to mental health first-aid courses, there are thousands of opportunities online that will be able to support your CV. The benefits of doing these also outweigh the few hours that you might feel you could ‘lose’: You learn a new skill. It doesn’t take as long as committing to an in-person course. And you have something other than your education to talk about at interviews.
Hobbies
Whether it is playing an instrument or competing in a sport, hobbies are important on your CV…in moderation.
Some employers like to get a glimpse of the type of person that you are outside of education. However, listing that you like running, swimming, reading, archery and sewing isn’t going to help your case.
Listing one key hobby and linking it to the job role is the way to go, placing heavy emphasis on why your inclusion of that hobby is important.
If you have played an instrument to professional level, why is it relevant to the managerial job that you’re applying for? Has it provided you with a sense of focus? Determination? Allowed you to have an outlet from the stresses of study and helped create a healthy work-life balance?
Volunteer
This is the ultimate extra-curricular activity and usually the one that can help you to make your CV truly unique. Check out these articles to read more about what volunteering opportunities there are for students.
- Flexible Volunteering Opportunities for Students
- Four Festivals to Volunteer at this Summer
- The Benefits of Volunteering
Foreign Language
You can’t instantly learn a language just to add it to your CV. However, this one had to be added to the list, just so it’s not forgotten! Being multilingual is a skill that is increasingly in-demand with the globalisation of the workplace. Don’t forget to include your polyglot status in your ‘extra-curriculars’ section.
